2 dogs attack 3 people in Wilmington

Three people were attacked by a pair of dogs in Wilmington Tuesday. There were two separate attacks in the area around Coil Avenue and Young Street. Two men and a woman are recovering from their bite wounds.

A boxer/American bulldog mix named "Chuco" and a pit bull/Akita mix named "Cisco" are under quarantine and may be euthanized after an attack on three people.

Alfredo Ramos says both dogs bit his arms and legs for three to four minutes.

"They just came, biting me and biting me, so I tried to jump over a fence. They took off my shoe, they bit my shoe, they ripped my pants and they finally got my skin," said Ramos.

Animal control officers took pictures of his wounds soon after the dogs mauled Ramos. He and his mother-in-law, 70-year-old Rita Torres, and his son saw the dogs near an alley. His son ran home before Chuco bit Torres. Ramos says he hit the dog with his keys and the dogs turned on him.

"I think about, What if it could have been my son or somebody? It would have been worse. Maybe he wouldn't have survived," said Ramos. "Because that's how they were getting me."

Minutes earlier, the dogs had lunged at 62-year-old Rafael Marques Arce at a park a block away. Arce says the dogs latched onto his arms.

"He was trying to break free from the dogs, but he couldn't, having one on each arm. It was very hard for him to try to pull away from both dogs," said a translator speaking for Arce.

"They are very good, very loving dogs," said the dogs' owner, Rick Hernandez. "We gave them the love that we give a human, you know, and that's how we treated them. And that's why it's such a sad occurrence."

Hernandez says he put a bungee cord on his gate to keep it closed. He believes a neighbor cut the cord. He says he's sorry the attack happened and takes full responsibility.

"To go through something like this is not easy," said Hernandez. "And my heart's out to the family and everybody involved. We're praying for a 100 percent recovery."

The dogs will be quarantined for 10 days. After that time, they may have to be euthanized, unless a rescue organization adopts Chuco and Cisco.